| Object: M31 (NGC 224) | Date: 2019 January 28 |
| Type: Spiral galaxy | |
| Constellation: Andromeda | Time & altitude: 20.40 UT 43º |
| Catalogue data: | Seeing (5 high): 1 or 2/5 |
| R.A: 0h 43m | Transparency (5 high): 5/5 |
| Dec: 41º 16 | Telescope: 0.5m f4.1 Dob. |
| Magnitude 3.4 | Eyepiece 17 & 8mm Ethos x120 & x260 |
| Size (mins) 178×63 | Filters: None |
|
Notes: The size and amount of subtle detail on show means that drawing the whole of M31 would take forever. With the view centred on the core, the arms only seem to span the 50 arcmin field of the 17mm Ethos. However move the core out of the view and the full extent of the smoky luminous halo startlingly snaps into view, extending much further out. The drawing here is more a diagram of how to find NGC 206 starting from M32, one of M31’s four bright satellite galaxies . NGC 206 is a huge OB Stellar Association embedded in a spiral arm. Generally I don’t find it especially conspicuous. The E edge of NGC 206 is well-defined and the W edge fuzzier. The surface appears grainy, as though close to some resolution. |
|